Interchanged
by Lotusthelyconis
Summary: When there's a murder down in Central, Edward Elric's vacation is cut short and he is sent on a search for the murderer. But what he doesn't know is that there are Zodiacs awakening in response to these events. And the few that do know... Are going to die. EdxWin
1. Breakfast

**_A/N: Hey, this is my first fanfic but I would love it if you guys, just read it and stuffs. Now lemme shut up and let you read. Enjoy~_**

_I set the heavy wooden chalk-holder down, careful as to not smudge the previous lines of the transmutation circle drawn. I breathed out and grinned at my brother nervously._

"_Is it ready, Al?" I asked, showing no sign of fear._

_Alphonse nodded readily, mimicking my nervous grin._

_I surveyed the room thoroughly. There were vials of colored liquids, tabbed textbooks, beakers and pieces of detailed paper taped to the walls. It had been a long time in the making, but I think our efforts were gonna pay off._

_I knew we could bring back mom...And be happy again..._

_And if not..._

_I pushed the foreboding thought aside. My little brother couldn't see me back down now. We were pretty much all each other had at this point. I wanted to show him I could do this.._

_I turned back towards the chalky circle. This is what we studied, hoped, prayed, dreamed about. We can do this. We _were _gonna do this._

"_Right..", I said slowly. "This is perfect.."_

_I sat forward on my knees, pushing the palms of my hands down against the ground, Al following suit. A sudden burst of light dissolved the chalk off of the ground, replacing it with an eerie golden glow. I couldn't help but smile. It was working. It was really working..._

_Thunder crackled outside and the entire house shook. I blinked quickly and my smile faded. This felt wrong..._

_The color of the transmutation circle was turning a bright red. And then everything went black._

_All I could hear was a familiar voice, calling my name. "Edward...Edward...Edward..."_

_x~X~x_

* * *

><p>"Edward, wake up...Ed..." There was an insistent tapping on my shoulder that I was choosing to ignore. I was hoping it would just go away...<p>

Then there was a punch to my gut, causing my eyes to shoot open in surprise and pain. And only one person would dare do that to me.

"Winry...you bitch..." I gasped and clutched my chest with my left hand. "I was...sleeping..."

She smiled a perfect smile and tilted her blonde head towards me, brandishing a disarming smile, almost cute enough for me to ignore the pain in my chest. "Well, the polite approach didn't seem to be working, so I thought maybe the direct approach would be...effective." She smiled brightly and pulled her long hair into a ponytail. "Now get up, Ed. Breakfast time."

"Winry, do you even know what time it is...?" I complained weakly.

"Early in the morning, I dunno, six-ish? Maybe five..." She snapped out of her reverie and turned to me, smiling again. "Doesn't matter, I'm cooking, so come and help me or I'll rust your automail."

"Winry, c'moooooooon..." I groaned. "That's not even a reasonable time..."

"Ed!" She brandished a large spoon (that I hadn't even realized she had in her hand 'till it was inches away from my face.) "I'm making food. You're helping." She poked the end of the spoon against my nose, bending the thin plastic against my nose slightly as I stared at her disinterestedly. "Or you won't get any, and it all goes to the cat." she said. And with that, she turned on her heel and stalked through the door, leaving me staring after her in pained dismay.

I sat up, rubbing my chest, feeling the intensive pain that was there recede slowly. And all I could think about was what my mind had been on before she entered the room to wake me up...

Sleep.

I mentally cursed Winry for waking me up at this ungodly time. I couldn't even see the sun begin to filter through the window, and yet she wanted me to come and make food with her. Most likely, for her.

Women...

Then again, she does put up with me and my stupidity, for the most part. Well, me and-

"Al!" Winry screamed from far downstairs. "Get your stupid brother to come and help me cook this damn food or I'll dent his automail SO BAD, he won't be able to walk anymore!" Even though she was downstairs, I could've sworn she was 5 feet away.

There was a clank of metal and a large shadow passed in front of the door, as a huge suit of armor leaned into the doorway. Red eyes stared at me from behind the hollow metal and sighed.

"Ed-"

"Yeah, yeah Al, I'm coming, jeez..." I interjected sleepily.

He loomed in the doorway for a moment longer, and chuckled, moving aside as I walked through the door, punching his armor lazily. "C'mon, help me out here, Al..."

"She _did _say you, Brother."

"Ugh, whatever." I jumped down the stairs two at a time, listening to Winry screaming at me and inhaling the smell of breakfast.

Rounding the last corner and turning towards the sound of clattering utensils, I saw her arms flailing in a million directions, switching from forks to spoons to knives in a blur, all the while maintaining a steady stream of threats and a frown on her face.

I stopped a few feet in front of her and leaned on the counter, swatting eggshells into the garbage next to me.

"...frigging lousy ass, Ed, come and HELP-" She looked in my direction and grinned wickedly. Something told me that this was a terrible sign. A smile? From Winry? This couldn't be good. "Oh, you're up!"

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Already, I could feel the stress woman was going to add to my life this morning. "No Winry, I'm down. Of course I'm up, there's no way in hell I could sleep through all of that-"

I felt a searing, white-hot flash of metal on my face and was sent flying backwards.

"Fucking owww, Winry!" I sat up, spitting blood out of my mouth and rubbed my cheek. She was staring at me with a satisfactory smirk, her eyes blazing as she put her wrench back on her waist. I had made her mad. Again. I didn't even do anything though, yet, of course, it was always my fault. Stupid me.

"Like I was saying...", she went on slowly, slowing her arms to a pause on her hips. "I want you to come make...hmmm..." She surveyed the kitchen, looking around for the most embarrassing and womanly thing she could find for me to do. Honestly, if I didn't die trying to get Al's and my bodies back, the death of me would be this blonde right here.

I preferred dying with a bit more purpose.

"Aha!" she said triumphantly, most definitely finding the lamest item of all for me to cook. She walked over to the counter and picked up a loaf of bread along with a bowl of bright white eggs. Then she turned to me and smiled. "You can make french toast!"

I spat out another mouthful of blood and got up quickly, nearly stumbling over my own feet just to get up. She set everything in her hands down and looked at me for a moment and I looked back. She was a good three or four inches taller than me, I noticed sadly. She was wearing a plain camisole over her bra, having the straps show separately, and tiny pink trousers, with her tool belt over it, (which somehow always fit on everything.) She caught me staring at her and turned around quickly. I could've sworn that she turned red, but with the few lanterns lit, it was hard to tell. Besides, it's nothing I hadn't seen before.

She turned back around and handed me a bowl filled with uncracked eggs and pointed to the loaf of bread beside the stove and smiled again. I turned around and screwed up my face, wondering what was so _funny _that she had to giggle about. _"The Fullmetal Alchemist is my bitch this morning! Muwahaha!" _Somehow, it didn't seem that far-fetched.

I set my mind on making the stupid french toast, but other thoughts did pervade my mind. Why was it that I, the fucking Fullmetal Alchemist (despite my attempts to change it multiple times) couldn't even stand up to a girl? I mean, not massacre or something overly demonic or even painful, but just enough to the point where I wasn't seen as a runt...even though I was...when I found the idiot responsible for retarded genetics, I swear, they are dead for 18 years of misery they've caused me.

I was so wrapped in my thoughts and breaking the eggs, that I didn't feel Winry tapping on my shoulder insistently. I turned around to look at her with a slight frown with her eyebrows knit, wondering what she could be bothering me about now, until I saw the scared expression on her face. I put the bowl down and raised an eyebrow at her. "Something wrong...?" I asked slowly. She shook her head and pointed to the door. I traced my eyes over to her gaze and was dark but I knew who it was instantly. Leaning against the door frame in an all black military uniform was none other than the Flame Alchemist himself.

Colonel Mustang.

"Ed..." He nodded in my direction casually and waved slightly. "You look like a train hit you. Again." He always had an air of hilarity, even if expressed in solemn silence most of the times.

"You see, uhh, there was this wrench and...nevermind that." I could trace the ghost of a smile upon his lips.

I changed tact and frowned. There were apparently more pressing matters at hand, seeing how he was here in the first place. "What brings you all the way out here to Resembol, at like...six in the morning? Thought you were in Central." I asked, shelling out a small, slightly bloody smile, trying to hide the kitchen work I was doing for Winry. I was the Fullmetal Alchemist after all, not some kitchen maid.

His grin faded quickly as he cleared his throat taking a few steps toward me. His face was cloaked in a small 5 o' clock shadow, which wasn't normal for the clean shaven guy. He also had bags under his eyes, as if from working entirely too much. I was about to ask him what was wrong when he leaned against the wall and sighed, closing his eyes.

"I came to tell you..." he started slowly. "There's been a murder over at Central, and you're to come back with me. Today."

Winry stifled a gasp and gripped my shoulder tightly, but I barely noticed.

I was still in shock."What...?" A murder in Central could only mean one of two things: One, that there was something fast and dangerous on the loose. Or two, with that type of power, they could have the most powerful tool of them all.

A Philosopher's Stone.

He cleared his throat and raised his head, swiping the bangs from in front of his eyes. "You heard me Fullmetal. I said it was a murder, and of a fellow state alchemist at that." He averted his gaze back to the floor. "Just thought I'd be the one to bring the news..." I knew that was a lie. They just wanted someone strong enough to detain me in case I went on an emotional rampage. Which is exactly what I had planned on doing had they sent anyone else. I closed my eyes and sighed. A murder of a state alchemist. And once again, Central wanted me to find the trail of the problem and snuff it out, just like a dog of the military. I bit my lip and looked down, barely reigning in my anger. Everyone else had official work and steady jobs as state alchemists, but I had nothing but a beck and call job. Which was fine by me, but eventually it all got me screwed into some deep shit that I didn't wanna deal with, like the Philosopher's Stone. And now I was going to have to do it all over again. I was still looking for it, but Fuhrer had demanded I rest. And not even a week later, I had to do this...

"Ed..." Winry tugged at my sleeve, bringing me back to reality. I looked over at her and felt my heart twang. She looked so adorable in that way, clinging close to me, my arm held against her chest. It sometimes slipped my mind how attractive Winry was. Maybe it was because most of the time, she just...was there.

"Alright, I'll be there. I'll go tell Al-"

"No, Al isn't needed." Roy added quickly. "You were requested specifically alone."

I frowned. "But Al's my brother, and knows damn near everything I..." Then I faltered. I looked at Roy and squinted. It was hard to see in the night light and the few lamps on by the door, but I noticed something that made me tense. "Okay, just let me go get my stuff..."

Winry gripped my arm tighter. "But Ed-"

"C'mon Winry, help me pack my things real quick." She tried to protest but I walked quickly toward the steps, pulling her along with me. Roy stood there watching us, smiling slightly, as Winry stumbled up the steps behind me.

As soon as we reached the top of the steps, she pinned me against the wall, staring at me furiously. I was about to yell at her when I realized she was on the verge of tears. My voice failed as a watched her hit me over and over silently, shutting her eyes as if she was determined not to let a single tear fall from her face. It wasn't really a physical hurt, but more of an emotional hurt, every hit pounding deeper and deeper into my heart. And, for some reason, I couldn't tell what was wrong.

"Winry, are...are you crying?" I asked dumbly. Of course she was crying, but why?

"Ed, you are so..." She lifted her head and stared at me, eyes brimming with tears that she wouldn't let fall. "Are you that stupid..?"

"Me? What did I do?!"

She stared at me for a moment, and I could've sworn she was going to smack me again. Instead, she did almost the polar opposite: she kissed me.

And I remembered something in that moment.

Love.

I remember someone telling me that loving someone is like a button. And every time you press that button, a bird dumps on you. And each time, it gets worse and worse. And then, on the 100th time, you get a cookie. And it is the best cookie you've ever had. But it goes quicker than you thought it would. And then you go back to pressing that button, waiting for it to come.

And this was that cookie. And it was perfect.

All too soon she pulled away and gazed at me thoughtfully, eyes puffy from crying. I stared back at her in shock. She hugged me tightly and sniffed. All this time, I had seen Winry as nuisance, always getting in the way of things when they mattered, not helping when I needed it, and generally not knowing how to shut up. But she was there for the things I did appreciate: making food, fixing automail, and talking me out of killing everybody who had called me a chump. She was there and right now that's all that I needed. Since mom had gone, that's all I had ever wanted...

"Don't go, Ed..." she said in a voice so low, I had to strain to listen. And I didn't want to.

I was about to respond when I heard something downstairs explode.

My gaze hardened as I turned to Winry. She was now standing straight up, looking at me for some sort of guidance apparently, which, at the moment, was the wrong thing to ask from me. But I had to help her. It was the least I could do for the woman who made me feel like somebody.

"Winry, get dressed, get Al, and get away from here. Now. AL!"

He appeared in the doorway right next to the stairs where Winry and I were moments before. Had he been listening to the whole thing? I pushed the thought aside. It could wait. It had to wait.

"Brother-" he started, but I cut him off.

"Get Winry outta here as soon as she's ready" He nodded, and I could've sworn he was about to talk again, but I started off towards my room when another explosion shook the house. I stabled myself against the wall and ran towards the door, grabbing my jacket from off of the floor.

And then I heard him.

"ED, GET DOWN HERE!" It was Mustang

I gritted my teeth and transmuted a hole through the floor, landing in the middle of the living room, billowing smoke from underneath me. I coughed for a second, grabbing some fresh air into my lungs, but all I could smell was the sausage that Winry had left on the stove to burn. Then I leapt off of the wood, turning in a circle until spotting where the explosion came from. It was from the front door, and standing there was Mustang. I couldn't see his face due to all the lights being out, and the stars were still out. I could tell he was in pain though.

"Mustang," I said stepping toward him, looking around. There was a hole in the kitchen wall, everything charred and covered in black. Everything from the morning's breakfast was scattered everywhere, spreading the smell everywhere, upsetting my stomach. It was making me kinda hungry."What the hell happened-?"

"Ed, back up. Now." It was Mustang's voice, but it didn't come from his direction. It came directly from behind me.

I backed up slowly and turned my head. It was Mustang. But that wasn't possible. Mustang was right in front of me. I turned my head back toward the Mustang leaning against the wall. _That was Roy right there. _But how was that even possible...?

The Mustang behind me gripped my shoulder and pulled me back so I could get a good look at him. He was wearing his standard blue Military Uniform, buttons shining even in the barely illuminated living room. And he had his pristine gloves with the transmutation circles on them. Then I remembered what I saw before I went upstairs with Winry.

The Roy from earlier had on alchemic gloves on. But the transmutation circles were upside down. Meaning the person in front of me...

Couldn't be Roy.


	2. Twins

_**A/N~Just a little super happy about the tiny buzz I got from this story. Bluh. Nevermind me. Read on~ **_

I looked back and forth between the two Mustangs. My mind was moving a mile a minute and it just didn't make any sense. Why in the world would anyone want to impersonate Roy? More importantly, why did they want to impersonate Roy to get to _me? _I looked at the house in shambles around me: Roy would never trash my house without a good reason. And no one would want to blow half of my house up if they were on an espionage mission. Which meant I wasn't putting two and two together, or it was bigger than that...

I snapped out of me reverie and pushed the Roy behind me off of me. _ No one _was going to do _anything _with_ anyone _until I got some answers. Plus, I had to buy Winry and Al some time in case things got crazy. Well, _crazier._

"Fullmetal!" the Roy behind me cried. "What the hell is wrong with you? I'm trying to help you!"

"Don't listen to him, Ed!" the other Roy pressed against the door frame said. "He's not really me!" He tried to walk forward, but fell to his knees. His shoulder was dripping blood and his gloves were stained red. Seeing him in such pain, I couldn't believe it was the Colonel at all. Then I remembered what I had forgotten.

I started to walk towards the Roy kneeling.

"Fullmetal," the Colonel behind me said warningly. I paid him no mind.

I bent forward and grabbed Roy's hand, grinning. A trace of a smile showed upon his lips. "I knew you weren't as dumb as you looked, Ed-"

I yanked the bloodied glove off of his hand and a look of terror showed up on "Roy's" face. Across his hand and arm, there were symbols and signs embedded and tattooed on his skin. And the skin had a black and lifeless tint to it, radiating darkness. It was exactly what I hadn't wanted: crazier.

"E-Ed, please, just let me expla-"

I wound my hand back to punch the impostor in the face, but in the blink of an eye, he was on his feet, pulling a blade from the inside of his imitation uniform. My eyes widened as he rose to his full height: A six-foot tall figure with the Colonel's face grafted on. As he brought his blade down, I threw my automail arm up in a last ditch effort to defend myself. The elastic smile drawn upon Roy's face didn't fit him at all. It was fit for nothing short of a demon. I braced for impact, and then-

All of a sudden, the figure stood rigid. I took the moment to leap back and I saw why he failed to cut me to ribbons. On the inside of his military uniform, he was glowing orange, the color's saturation deepening at every second, until it was a fiery red that burst forth from his rib cage, sending his uniform into an inferno. The impostor let forth a scream so ungodly and loud, I couldn't help but visibly cringe. He clawed at his uniform until he himself was causing lacerations, cleaving his deathly flesh from his skin. Finally, it crumpled back unto it's knees and looked straight past me, it's eyes glowing with the intensity of a star. I turned around to see what it was glaring at. Roy's brows were knit together as if he had just finished snapping with the might of an earthquake, sweat starting to form on his forehead, though his face remained stony. I couldn't read his expression, but I knew it was really him. The Flame Alchemist could be colder than ice if he wanted to.

"Don't mess with my dogs," was all he had to say before snapping again, sparking the body again with a spasmic flame.

The demonic form slowly dwindled, all clothes gone so it was seen for what it really was: an entity with its entire being marred from alchemy. All of the markings upon it's body were now glowing blood red, which probably could be blood with all the damage Roy had just caused. But one symbol stood out the most: a sign of the ancient Zodiac, Gemini, was flaring with a blinding light on it's right breast. The light seemed almost as if it came from a Philosopher's Stone, but it was gone before I knew it. The demons body then evaporated to ashes, and a disembodied whisper struck my mind.

_"Mustang, you have made an enemy of the Army. Though you are a dog of the military, I am a lion of war. I will not rest until your ashes are in the same arrangement as these are now. You will not know when, where, or how, you will just know that it was I. We_ will _meet again."_

Then, without any precedence, Winry's cat walked up to the pile of ashes, as if the entire house wasn't in smithereens and this was completely normal. And with a completely, if not comically, normal gesture the cat peed upon the ashes as if it had been waiting all day. Seemingly satisfied with its work, he sashayed away as if he had single-handedly defeated the demon. The impossibly dangerous situation's tension seemed to evaporate off of my shoulders as I cracked a smile. The cat the went on to eat the burned sausage Winry had went about in making. I swear I could have heard the disembodied whisper turn into a furious snarl in the air. With that, the ashes swirled into a tornado and dissipated into thin air, leaving nothing but an air of foreboding and a house in dis-repair.

* * *

><p><strong>x-X-x-X-x<strong>

After the comical, life-threatening scenario, Roy and I had set about repairing the house as best we could. Winry's breakfast couldn't be salvaged (and all of it that could have been was eaten by the damned cat), so there was nothing to be done about the empty stomach I had. We had went through with repairing the house in silence, using the law of equivalent exchange to fix as much as we could. The stars had just been fading as the demon disappeared, so by the time me and Roy had finished, it was near daybreak. Alphonse (much to my surprise) had heeded my orders and had left the place. Though, of course, not without giving extreme care to leaving a note, saying he was taking Winry to Gran's house. And he only left a broken window from his room. _Way to be cool, Alphonse..._I thought. Of course, he had to get it from me. Where else could he have got it from?

Sensing no sign of any paranormal activity, I headed downstairs. Mustang was in the kitchen, rifling through the fridge, his black hair sticking in multiple directions. He gathered what he needed for a sandwich and set to work. I just sat at the bottom of the steps and watched him for a moment. The Flame Alchemist seemed to have a normal life, and it was just so...weird. He was an uptight ass, but now that he had just killed some demon, it looked like his stern meter was running on low. As he took a bite of his sandwich, he looked at the wall thoughtfully, as if pondering life. Or maybe he was wondering why he had wheat instead of white bread ("It lasts longer, Ed!" Winry says). You could never tell looking at Colonel.

Suddenly, he snapped and the inside of my jacket felt warm. I yelped in surprise and pulled my pocket watch out immediately. It glowed red like a hot coal and was searing straight through my gloves so fast, I had no choice but to drop it. I looked at Mustang with indignation and pure hatred, but he was still busy eating his sandwich and spacing out. Who was he to act _so _cool in _my _house?! And be so calm about it?

Asshole.

"Don't spy on me, Fullmetal," he said absently. "It's rude."

"Hey, this is my _flipping _house! It's rude to eat other people's shit without asking!" I cried. Who does this guy think he is?

"Well," he said rubbing his jaw in thought. "I was under the premise that saving your life and repairing half of your house was suffice enough to fix a measly sandwich as payment." He finally turned around with a blank look on his face, staring right at me. "Or perhaps you still feel indentured?"

"I...huh..." I looked down at the ground and picked up my pocket watch dejectedly. Thinking about it like that, it made it seem like I was the ass here. Which, given the circumstances and what just happened, I'd probably say I was. I just wasn't gonna admit it to him.

"C'mon, Fullmetal." He gestured with his hand to follow him into the living room, where you could barely tell that the house had been burned and exploded all over less than a day ago. Roy plopped down on the red couch in the living room to face me, where I was to sit straight across from him in the armchair. I followed suit and propped both my automail and regular leg up on top of the coffee table, making myself comfortable.

"So." he started.

"So...what?"

"There's a slight problem."

"And what would that be, Colonel?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You're being hunted." he said bluntly.

I clicked my tongue. "Okay. Straight to the point. Cool."

"You're taking this very well, honestly." He folded his hands together so that they were interlocking, something I noticed that he did whenever he was doing some heavy thinking.

"Well, it's nothing new, so, yeah. It's really whatever at this point..." I started to fidget with a loose strand on the hem of my jacket.

"Any questions?"

I furrowed my brow. "Better question: Can you answer them all?"

He sighed and sat forward, his elbows on his knees and his mouth hidden behind the gloves on his hand, but his eyes had hardened. This was his usual stare, but there was something about it that just made me shiver. He only got like this when someone had pissed him off, or worse when he had bad news. He looked up from the floor to meet my gaze and then held it. Then he spoke.

"Better question: Do you want to hear the answers?"

I gulped. I didn't. But if I had to know, I wanted to get it over with and have time to come to terms with it.

"Not really. But let's just get it over with."

He cracked the smallest of smiles. "You've matured. I'm proud of you."

Mustang stood up and pulled something out of his pocket and handed to me. It was a small, neatly folded piece of parchment. Even before I opened it, I sensed that it was heavy with ink. But I couldn't help but ask.

"What the fuck?"

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, like he had lost all faith in me that he had just gained. "Open it, Fullmetal."

I stared at him curiously and unfolded the paper. It expanded to be as wide as both of my hands and on it, there were multiple symbols. I recognized most of them: there were twelve Zodiac symbols, starting with Aries and ending with Pisces, all in their order of a circle. But there was something weird about the paper. It was definitely alchemy-based, I could tell that much. But moreover, it was an evil type of presence. Old, even. There were several Zodiac symbols that were shining on the paper in different colors, in a holographic sort of way. Sagittarius, The Archer, shone the brightest in a solid sheen of green. Gemini, The Twins, shone the dullest in a bloody red. There were others that shone: Cancer, Taurus, and Leo, but none as bright or dull, and all in different colors. In the center, there was a kind of shady looking symbol that I didn't recognize: It wasn't clearly visible, but I could just make out the shape of a line. It seemed to be moving-no, _slithering _seemed like a better word-across the middle of the page.

I furrowed my brow and looked at Colonel. He seemed intently studying my expression, as if my interpretation of the note was vital.

"What the hell is this, Roy?" I asked, puzzled.

"That, Fullmetal, is a Zodimap." He took the paper back from my hands and tucked it back into his pocket. "It shows where the location of the strongest influence of the Zodiacs. Coming to get and tell you this, Gemini started to flare. So I hurried here and sure enough, there was a Gemini clone here. I'm surprised that he didn't just knock you unconscious and take you out of here." He walked over to a glass table and picked up a picture of the family before Mom had died. There was Winry, Al, Mom, me, and the person I used to know as my father. We all looked so happy, even though Winry was yelling at me in the picture and I was yelling back. Al had just sat there smiling while my mother had her arm around my father's waste. I never looked at the picture, but looking at it now, I loved it. It seemed to just capture life at the time perfectly: Happy.

"Edward, they need you." Roy spoke.

"Who is they? What the Hell is this Zodimap? Why do they need me? What the hell do I have to do with anything? Huh, Roy?" I was getting angry. At Roy, at life, at everything. Why was it that we couldn't have happiness? People always needed me for things I never wanted, but why _me? _All me and Al had wanted was to be happy...

And now we were here.

"I don't know. I don't know who 'they' are specifically, but it's got to be someone inside Central. As for the Zodimap, I don't know what it's used for, but I know whoever's in Central losing there mind, it's over this. It has something to do with the Zodiacs, but I can't tell you exactly what. There's too much to explain and not enough time to figure out." He set the picture down and walked over to me. He placed a hand on my shoulder and looked at me, like an older brother would do to his younger one. Which is how I looked at Roy. He was there for the longest, and even with his poor guidance at anything, he was there, no matter what.

"Listen, Edward," I flinched at him saying my real name, which he almost never used. "I don't know. But I'm going to help you. I don't have all the answers right now, but we will get them, and when we do, we will fix all this." He titled my head up at him to stare directly into his eyes. They were usually dark and cold, but they seemed almost warm. "Trust me. You're my dog."

I stared at him for a moment. He was telling the truth. He really believed he could help me. And I believed him too.

"Alright," I said, stretching wide and yawning. "So you want me to pack or what?"

He moved back as if to survey me and then nodded in approval. "Yeah. Pack up. We have to be gone by tonight. If not, I can't guarantee you'll live long enough to find out why they need you. I'll tell you more on the train out of here."

My heart jumped, and then completely dropped. "Wait, why do I have to leave?"

Colonel looked back at me as if I was retarded. "Because there was a murder at Central. The clone wasn't lying about that. And it was of a State Alchemist. That much yields true."

"Well, who was it?" I asked curiously.

Mustang grimaced. "My counterpart: The Freeze Alchemist, Isaac McDougal. And I have a feeling it wasn't an accident, either."

Once again, my mind was racing. So there actually was a State Alchemist that died? Did he know something about the Zodimap and all this other stuff going on? Then I mentally scoffed at myself. He was dead and no amount of anything could bring him back from the dead.

Anything that would work anyways...

I went upstairs to pack most of my important things: My favorite pen, my extra jackets, a book of alchemy notes, and an overcoat. Looking around my room, it was pretty barren. Other than the multiple formulas I had transmuted onto the wall in boredom, there was nothing in here. I had lived here for most of my childhood and this past week since leaving young. There were some childhood memories everywhere: toys, blocks, drawings of me and Al. I couldn't help but tear up. I was leaving again. But would I come back the same? Would I come back at all...?

I pushed the thought aside. There were more important things at hand. First I had to figure out where I would be going. Then I had to figure out how to solve whatever problems there were. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I cost others their lives and I still kept mine...

Drying my eyes, I heaved the suitcase I had downstairs. I looked around for Mustang. Finally I found him back in the kitchen. He was looking down at his military pocket watch, staring fondly. I was about to ask him what it was, but he snapped it shut and looked up at me expectantly.

"Ready?" he asked casually.

I brushed off the moment. There wasn't much to do in the house, so staring at the clock was probably just a pass time for him. "Yeah. Just-". Then I thought about it. I squinted and looked at Mustang. "What about Winry and Al? Will they be coming?"

He brushed stray crumbs off of his jacket and looked toward the door. "Let's go ask them."

* * *

><p><strong>x-X-x-X-x<strong>

In a dark room, there was no light. It was expansive and wide, one could tell just by standing in it's center. Suddenly, a bright light was cast in the middle, shedding light on two figures in the middle sitting at a table. One had a long mane of gold hair, stringing down into his beard. He wore a white silken robe, covering his entire body. His eyes gleamed amber as he stared into the crystal ball in the middle of the high table. The other figure was slender, with raven-black hair and a beautiful face. She wore similar attire, except in all black that hugged her body. The two stared into the crystal ball, gazing at it with interest. Inside you could see Edward Elric and the Flame alchemist walking towards their destination.

"We should have done this while they were inside..." the raven said softly.

"It wouldn't have worked; this ball would have shattered at the sheer overload of magic that house has placed over it. And I don't suppose you can just find a Celestial Orb in the market," the gold haired one replied plainly.

"Hmph. No need to get snooty with me, Father," she whined innocently. "You're always right, blah blah blah. It was just a suggestion."

Father looked at the golden haired boy who mirrored him so much. All he could think about was how he had no idea what he was getting into.

The raven leaned over Father's shoulder, resting her chin in the crook of his neck as he closed his eyes. "So what's the move now, sweetheart?"

Out of the shadows, a figure appeared. He was clad in all black and looked familiar. His hair was also gold, but it fell in locks upon his shoulders. He looked fairly starved, but not for food any man could produce. It was more of a hunger for power. He was built in a way that was lean, muscled, and flexible all at the same time. And where his eyes were, there were dead looking sockets, drained of color. They were stormy gray with no sclera showing at all, so it was impossible to know where he was looking. He turned towards Father for approval. Father simply nodded then opened his eyes. Both the boy and his eyes were now stark red.

Father looked over at the ravenette in the most menacing way possible. "Simple. Edward," He turned toward the boy who responded to the name. "we must kill them."

With that the boy disappeared back into the darkness, his mission clear.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Okay, I'd appreciate it if you guys left a review or whatever, constructive criticism is advised and wanted! Otherwise, stay tuned~<strong>_


	3. The Move

_**A/N: I feel like I'm not putting enough of whatever. Detail, I think. Lemme know what you guys think. On with the story!**_

"Absolutely not!"

Everyone looked at Winry in disbelief, but at the same time, it couldn't help but be believed. We were all gathered in Gran's living room, Mustang, Winry, Al and I. Gran was in the kitchen making a pot of tea for us, just like the first time Colonel had visited. As we were all gathered in the cramped living room, I watched as Winry looked like she was about to lose her mind. The Colonel had just told her of how I was being hunted, conveniently leaving out all the specifics as not to reveal too much, in case she couldn't handle it. Winry looked back and forth between Al and I with disbelief and continued to pace in front of Mustang.

"Winry, please-" he began.

"No!" she yelled. "Why should I?"

"Because-" he started again, but Winry cut him off.

"Colonel Mustang, Ed is _not _leaving Resembol. Period."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. I was posted up against the wall and watched silently as Winry struggled to come to terms with the situation. I wondered if she was still thinking about what had happened earlier this morning. I knew that Winry wasn't an idiot, but the feelings she had right now were getting in the way. She wasn't mad about me leaving. She was mad about me leaving _her._

Colonel looked as if he were about to explode into about a billion, equally angry pieces. The two had been arguing for the past ten minutes, with the Colonel getting about five minutes of silence and blank stares in. The other five had been with him calmly explaining the same sentence to Winry. I don't know if you could call it an argument, but it was sure annoying as hell to listen to. Finally, as if he had had enough, Mustang cut Winry off sharply with a a true glimpse at how he was feeling: angry Winry shut up for a moment, staring at him with her own version of anger. Then, as if wanting to take advantage of the new-found silence, he began to speak.

"Winry, Ed is coming back to Central, with or _without _you." he said stubbornly. With that, his anger dispersed.

Winry huffed and sat down across from Mustang on the huge couch, right next to Al. She looked like a whiny, angry child who couldn't have a toy. Roy looked like the pissed adult who had explained for the thousandth time no. Soon these two variances were going to explode against each other. Al shifted uncomfortably on the couch as Winry and Roy had a silent, unofficial staring contest. Al was a quiet guy. A quiet guy, but not a stupid one. We had one of two ways of going about this. One option was to take flight and form up a plan from there. The other option was to stay here and fight, and watch the few people we loved fight with us to the bitter end of it.

And die trying to protect us.

I ground my teeth. Winry couldn't play favorites here. If Colonel couldn't change her mind, then I guess I was going to. I hope it didn't come to that.

I returned to reality just in time to see Gran walk in the living room with a pot of tea and several small cups on the silver tray. She had her grayish hair pulled up into a tight bun as always, and an apron over her plain white shirt. Her eyes were always hidden behind these thick glasses she wore that always seemed to reflect light so that you could never see or gauge the expression she had on her face. She was kind enough looking, but should you piss her off, she would do the same to you by flipping out and shutting you down.

As she set the tray down on the table, Gran proceeded to pour the tea into the cups silently, offering one to everyone in the room, even Alphonse, (though of course, he couldn't drink any).

Winry set down her drink and stared at me. I had lost focus for a second, so when I came back into focus, I had realized that she had been staring at me for a moment. I stared back, uncertain as what to do next. It then occurred that she was expecting a reply.

"Huh? Oh wait, what I miss?" I asked suddenly.

Colonel looked at the ceiling and blew a sigh through his nose. Apparently, he wasn't getting anywhere with Winry and he had just asked me a question. He restated it with purpose, enunciating each syllable. "I asked you to please explain why you need to go to Central. Please." It seemed he was reaching his breaking point. And quick.

I scratched my head and looked toward Winry again, sensing that she no amount of arguing could persuade her. So I put all my heart into my words and hoped that it was going to work. "Winry, I-no, we- need to leave. It's not safe here and we most definitely cannot stay here _with our friends and family _so that they can die. It's just..." I blinked a couple of times to regain my composure, trying not to sound so emotional. "There's too many times where this has happened to others and...I don't wanna make the same mistake as they did." Al nodded approvingly, but I could see Winry tensing up again. If I could be strong for her, she wouldn't have to be. This feeling I had towards her was nothing compared to the duty I had for her. I couldn't live with myself if I had her die on my watch. Or more like I couldn't. I couldn't have another female I loved lost again...

Winry stared for a second longer and then slumped her shoulders in defeat. "...Fine."

The Colonel looked down in disbelief and sent me the weirdest of looks. It disappeared before I could fully comprehend it. He then looked back at Winry and cleared his throat. "So you understand. Now, if you could, pack your things and we'll just-"

"W-Whoa. Wait. Pack her what?" I stammered.

"I was saying if she could just-" Mustang started.

"Oh no, she's not coming with _us_. She's staying here!" I exclaimed. I had just convinced her that she was staying here, had I not? I can't even believe that Roy would even consider bringing her along on a dangerous, life-threatening journey! You had got to be kidding me!

"Fullmetal, do you honestly think that it would be safer for someone you care about to be left behind in a place that has virtually no outside communications with anyone?" Roy asked.

I thought about it for a minute. Would I rather have the girl I love in constant danger with me, or should I have her in constant danger away from me, where if she were to die, I would never see her again? The thoughts in my head were spinning in my head like crazy. Was it really worth it to have her so close but at the cost of normalcy?

I looked from Mustang to Winry. "But..." Even though I didn't like the answer to my own question, it was the only right thing to do. "Can't we...can't we do something else? Like, have her under guard or-or-"

"Brother." Al said. He turned his metallic head towards me and stared intensely. I sighed. If Al saw it as the only way, then there really was no choice. I was just going to have to be resigned to my fate. And Winry's.

"Well, I think it's a swell idea," Gran piped up. She beamed from ear to ear and stood up, having sat down in front of the coffee table after serving everyone tea. She stood up just then and grabbed Winry's hand. "I'll just help her pack her things up, if you don't mind Colonel." The Colonel just waved his gloved hand and Gran took her cue to drag Winry out of the room and to the stairs. I plucked myself from off of the wall and plopped into the spot where Winry had been sitting, setting my teacup down on the coffee table. I looked at the outside window and noticed how the sky was fading from blue to evening yellow. I pulled my pocket watch out of my red jacket and stared at it. Sometimes, I just stared at the watch as a reminder that I was an alchemist. Thinking about it, there was the faint feeling in the back of my mind that his was all fake. I mean, c'mon. A science that could modify anything at will just made life seem like...magic. There weren't any boundaries that didn't seem crossable with alchemy. Everything just seemed so placid. Surreal. Like a high that you never quite fell down from. I mean sure, these were things that I had thought about already, but when this watch was in my hand, it was just like the evidence of the unknown-and that I had crossed that border. And then there was the fact that I had all of sixteen years to think about this all. Sixteen with enough problems to last a lifetime...

I looked around at the living room. Almost everything in the room could be made up of alchemy. Everything, save for Al, Colonel, and I. But that was because of the taboo on human transmutation. I pondered who the first person to discover this taboo had been. Obviously, they had lost something in the process, but the fact that they had left behind something to show how important it was not to do it. They helped. I mean, Al and I had not known, but we were just kids. At least this person-whoever it may be-had tried to let others understand. And it made me realize that we were more important than we held ourselves up to. We managed not to die this long and we were still trying to help others. I'd say that was pretty fucking amazing. And if we could do that, we would keep doing it.

"Hey, Fullmetal..."

I turned my attention towards Roy, who had his pocket watch held in his hand. He had gone back to staring at the ceiling again. Looking at him now, he didn't seem as much as a tight ass as I had thought he was. Maybe I had just got a taste of what he was used to and wasn't bothered by his regular attitude anymore. Having shit like this happen to his subordinates on the regular...I don't think I could deal. No wonder he hadn't gone crazy.

"Yeah, what's up?" I asked, turning my attention towards my pocket watch.

"I need you to listen...Al, you too." At the mention of his name, Al's armor creaked slightly and I could see him shift to look at Roy in my peripheral.

"What is?" Al asked.

"While you guys are out there, I am responsible for your lives, I need you to listen to everything I try to tell you, ask of you, and need you to do. If you really are being hunted, this is not the time to mess around. Plus, you'll have Winry with you, who is now precious cargo. This is not a game, a drill, or play time. This is kill or be killed. And I do not want to lose one of my dogs. Do you understand me?"

Al nodded approvingly. "Yes sir!"

Colonel turned his gaze towards me so that I could feel it, like one of his intensely heated fireballs. I continued to gaze at my gloved hand, hiding my automail fingers. There was one thing that I didn't want to do anymore and that was make mistakes for others.

"Yeah," I replied more to myself than anyone else.

Mustang nodded and got up from his seat and walked off somewhere in the depths of the house. Al followed suit and left me in the living room to my own devices.

I closed the pocket watch and clutched it close in my automail hand. There was absolutely nothing in my life that I hadn't worked for. My brother, my talent, my happiness. And I was to be damned if I was going to let anything happen to it. First I was going to find out what was wrong.

Then I was going to fix it.

* * *

><p><strong>x-X-x-X-x<strong>

By the time Winry had finished packing her things, it had been a whole hour. Winry had brought her automail repair kits, so she was prepared to perform maintenance on me whenever I could (which Mustang had advised to be as soon as we got on the train). We were at the front door, waiting for Gran to send us off. She was such a kind-hearted person. I could honestly think of her as another mom and not a replacement. She was someone completely different and unrelated to us, but treated us like nothing less than family all the same. She gave Winry a bone-crushing hug, along with the rest of us (excluding a very refusing Mustang). I looked at Winry, who had calmed down from earlier today, but seemed a bit sad about it. Her face seemed to be smiling, but her eyes held the truth. Had Gran said anything to her that might have messed her up? I thought about it and it seemed unlikely. Gran had hardly been the type to upset. And soon enough, we were going to have our alone time.

"Miss Rockbell, we will have someone over here as soon as we get back to Central. I'd hate to leave you here under-protected," Mustang said before saluting her.

Gran took the liberty to blush and bow slightly. "Oh, don't worry 'bout me. I'll be just fine as long as you have my grand baby under care. That's all that really matters to me."

"Hey!" I interjected.

"Oh, I almost forgot! I'll miss Alphonse as well." Gran replied.

We all laughed, even Winry. We parted ways and headed for the train station. It didn't take as long since Al was carrying all of Winry's stuff and the fact that it was less than a mile walk. We walked in silence, most of the way, and while we weren't, we were reminiscing over all the times Al and I had done bad things, back when we were kids. We walked across the town bridge and Colonel seemed genuinely interested in the mischief we had caused. Winry readily indulged him in the list of embarrassments we had, but I didn't care. It made me think of a happier time, no matter how crappy they were when it had happened. Al had started to chime in with details Winry had left out or forgotten and soon the three of them were all engaged, laughing even though our fate was sealed once we got on that train. Maybe he was looking for a happier time to escape to as well. And at least one of us was genuinely trying. I wondered if what I was doing even counted. I wondered _what _I was doing at all. Then I started laughing about it.

_I'm not doing a damn thing, _I thought smiling.

Once we were at the train station, night had completely fallen. The sky was a blanket of indigo with stars sprinkled across the top of it. The train showed up right on schedule, three minutes after we all had arrived. Being a State Alchemists, we were validated for first class on the train, so we did the exact opposite: we sat in coach. Colonel had said something about staying humble to remain great or some crap, but I wasn't listening. If there was one thing I didn't like, it was a lame excuse. And Colonel was fucking full of them.

As the four of us crammed into the coach train entrance, I stared at Mustang incredulously. Why in the hell he had such a humble demeanor befuddled me. This guy's mojo was just wack. And in front of my brother and Winry, no less. Bull.

As soon as the train started moving, Colonel got straight to business. "I'm going to sleep. Fullmetal, keep watch."

My jaw literally dropped. "What?! What about planning and order and shit?!"

Roy let loose an uncharacteristic wide yawn. Then he fixed me with that infuriatingly blank stare. "This is my plan. That's an order. No bullshit."

I was just about ready to lose my mind, but in what seemed like the blink of an eye, Roy had either drifted to sleep or faked it. I exhaled. This guy, thinking he was funny. The nerve of him!

I happened to glance out the window and saw the landscape seeming to fly by. It was amazing. Resembool was nothing but a distant town now, but it seemed even farther than that. Unattainable, even. I guess this is what good-byes felt like. Although I had gotten used to them, that didn't make them anymore easier to deal with. As the stars and sky streamed by, I couldn't help but think about parallelism and how somewhere out there, there was probably someone just like me having these problems. I wonder if they were having anymore luck than me.

I looked across the aisle. Al had chose to sit in a booth by himself, although some kid had walked up to him and insisted they play cards. Alphonse was beating the kid pretty badly, but the kid showed no signs of giving up anytime soon. I You had to admire courage like that. To not be afraid of failure and still persevere. I needed some of that...

Then I turned to Winry. She was sitting directly across from me, trying not to look at me, I suppose, staring at the stars outside. I couldn't help but notice how she had fixed her hair to fall in two short bangs across her forehead. It was really a cute thing, but I couldn't help but think she wasn't trying. After actually looking at Winry so long after not really _looking _at her, she seemed to radiate beauty. Her pale skin in contrast to her super blonde hair kind of squeezed away at my heartstrings. She was just...really pretty. And it didn't help that I just couldn't stop staring at her.

Finally, as if sensing my stare's intensity, she turns to look at me. Her hair flipped effortlessly behind her shoulder and her eyes seemed to bore into me. I cleared my throat and realized that this is what I had been waiting for. A chance to express how I feel. The problem was that I didn't know.

"Ed..." she started.

"No, wait." I got up and sat on her side of the table, leaving the Colonel knocked out next to the window and Alphonse with an ever growing crowd of kids to cheer him on in cards. I sat down next to her and sighed, knowing that what I said may majorly matter or not matter. So I decided to start slow.

"Winry...I like you a lot."

Boom.

"E-Ed..." she sighed. "We have to talk..."

Boom-boom.

"About what?" I said, trying with all my might not to stutter and tremble. This was going the wrong way already. And at this rate, I couldn't handle what the worst could be.

Winry picked at the hem of her black jacket, starting to loosen a thread upon the fringes. "I...I don't think we can do this," she whispered, so that I could barely hear her. She pushed back some hair from out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ears, revealing her misty eyes. Was she about to cry? For what? She was pissing me off and it was making _her _sad? I tried to reign in my emotions as she continued to talk. "I think that..that it's for the best." She continued to unspool the thread at the edge of her jacket, unspinning it so that it was long as her finger.

"Well, if you felt like this wasn't good, then why did you...why you kiss me? Why did you get upset when I had to leave? Why, all of a sudden, would you spring this up on me in the middle of a crisis that you know I'm in?" I silently accused. I looked at her, my eyes threatening to water. Across the aisle, several children cheered as Alphonse had won yet another game of cards. At least someone was getting to have a good time. Because God knows that I wasn't. I looked at Winry, hoping for an answer. Maybe she would provide me with some insight on why she just made the worst possible words come out of her mouth.

Winry stopped unspinning her thread from off of her jacket and tore it off sharply. "I don't know," was all she said.

I stared down at my lap and tuned out the world. I had told Winry how I felt, but she was about as vague as possible about how she felt. It wasn't fair but I didn't care. Caring wasn't what mattered right now. Caring had gotten me into this terrible situation. If hadn't cared that Winry was going to miss me, I never would have had been hurt by her not having meant it. If I didn't care, I wouldn't be at my limit of emotional stress. It seemed like just yesterday, I was going to to be come an Alchemist. It had been the greatest feeling ever. Now I was being hunted by the unknown, no closer to retrieving the body of my own or my brother's than I had been then, and now this girl that I had "cared" about was just turning my life upside down and was punching me in the face with reality and its harshness.

Well, now I _didn't _care.

"Okay," I said with as much neutrality as I could muster. The kids suddenly cheered louder as the boy who had been playing Alphonse had finally beat him. Parents were finally coming up right behind them, telling them it was time for bed. Few of them turned at smile at Al as they walked away with their children. I felt Alphonse get a bit sad looking at the rest of those people, remembering how Mom used to do that to us before we were about to go to bed. And then I thought about what I had been thinking of ever since Winry had woken me up this morning...

Sleep. And how I had yet to get fucking any.

In total frustration, I kicked my leg under the table. The Colonel immediately jerked upright and looked for any sign of a threat. When he located the source as me, he just furrowed his brow. Just as he was about to speak, I cut him off.

"This is my plan," I said, pointing down at the table. "That's an order. No bullshit."

"Ed, wait," Winry started, but I had had enough of her to last the day.

And with that, I drifted off into sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>x-X-x-X-x<strong>

It was the dead of night when a knock came upon Pinako Rockbell's door. When she opened the door, she smiled brightly as a man with locks upon locks of golden hair showed up. "Oh," she said beckoning him inside. "Back already, Ed?"

Edward was wearing all black and a pair of tinted glasses on. As he stepped into the room, all the lights seemed to greatly dim. Then he smiled a bright smile. "I'll be leaving soon, Gran."

With that, he closed the door behind him, shutting of the lights and the sounds of Pinako Rockbell's screams.


End file.
